FLEXIBLE FAMILY ADOPTION PROGRAM FEE SCHEDULE AND AGREEMENT EFFECTIVE: January 1, 2016

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1 FLEXIBLE FAMILY ADOPTION PROGRAM FEE SCHEDULE AND AGREEMENT EFFECTIVE: January 1, 2016 About the Flexible Family Program Welcome to Adoption Options, a private non-profit, licensed child placement agency, which serves the State of Colorado in all areas of adoption. The Flexible Family Adoption Program is designed for families with a higher level of flexibility and a willingness to accept some of the special needs of a child within the public child welfare system. A child with special needs can mean several different things. Some examples of what constitutes a special needs classification are: Being removed from a birth parent in a dependency and neglect action through the court system The child has emotional, behavioral, or physical disabilities or serious medical issues. If a child is older or part of a sibling group Children falling within the parameters of this program often become available for adoption through county departments of social services or other private agencies. Who can Apply to the Flexible Family Program In the Flexible Family Program, couples, families with children, and single persons may apply. Families who tend to be most successful in special needs adoptions are families with a high degree of flexibility and with reasonable expectations of the child/children to be placed. Some of the dynamics in flexible family adoptions are quite different from those in biological families or infant adoption. For this reason, we require an initial consultation before official application for this program. A consultation can be done through attending one of our information sessions or scheduling an individual appointment with an Adoption Options Flexible Families caseworker. The family and agency can choose whether or not to proceed after this meeting. Families interested in children ages 0-5 should not apply to this program, as those applications are not being accepted at this time. Adoption Options Flexible Family Program Services Include: Application and Paperwork Comprehensive Training Adoption Family Assessment- Home study Networking Service Assistance with Development of Family Profile Matching Advocacy and Support/Presentation Placement Preparation Ongoing case management support Adoption Filing 1

2 Application and Paperwork Descriptions of Adoption Options Flexible Family Program Services Adoption Options Case Managers can assist you with the completion of the initial application and the necessary paperwork, if needed that is required to begin your Adoption Family Assessment known as the Home study. Your application fee must be paid at the time of application. The application fee is non-refundable. Parent 1 Parent 2 Comprehensive Training Adoption Options provides our families with the necessary and comprehensive training and education to help prepare them for adoption. Our REAL Solutions education department will provide the family with a list of classes and the dates they will be offered. The educational courses are taught by Adoptions Options staff. We require our families to take educational courses that we provide on topics such as: Trauma-Linked Caregiving (TLC) core training series providing in-depth education specific to parenting children with trauma history. Waking Up to Trauma Lifebooks Adoption Options endeavors to prepare families and engage them throughout their adoption journey through education that is covers a variety of trauma-related topics. This training will enhance each family s success with raising children from the child welfare system. Adoption Family Assessment- Home study A SAFE (Structured Analysis Family Evaluation) Home Study Assessment is required for all adoptive families. Home studies are completed to assess the prospective adoptive families capacity to appropriately parent a child that is in the child welfare system due to previous abuse, neglect and maltreatment issues. The home study is written by the caseworker following several interviews and home visits with the family. The case worker will assess the families willingness and ability to parent a variety and degree of special needs. Once the home study is complete, the Adoption Options Flexible Family Team will have an internal meeting known as a staffing for your home study. This is a process where the team will assess the strengths of the family, concerns based on the assessment and information, and then make recommendations for next steps/feedback, or approval or denial of the home study. Your home study/training fees must be paid in full prior to beginning the Home Study process. 2

3 Parent 1 Parent 2 Assistance with the Development of the Family Profile Adoption Options wants to assist our families by helping them to prepare a family Profile. This profile includes: Pictures of the family Pictures of extended family Pictures of the home environment (including bedrooms, backyards) Pictures of Pets (if applicable) Pictures of your town (including information on town demographics) Local school statistics Parks and Recreation information Detailed list of things the family enjoys doing (hobbies, activities) Any other information that family would like to include We require the family to put energy and time into a comprehensive and detailed family Profile. Adoption Options case managers can assist with demographic data, school statistics and parks/recreational statistics if needed. Adoptions Options provides a copy of your family Profile to professionals that are considering your family as a possible match for children. Networking Service Adoption Options provides a networking and search process for a family. For each calendar year, Adoption Options will provide 5 Formal searches per month. A Formal search consists of: Searching for children that fit the family s description and preferences Reaching out to caseworker for that child (contact via telephone and ) and sending family profile Communication with child s case worker and providing home study/additional family information Collaborating with parties involved to share information regarding family and child to explore a match The caseworker will provide you (the family) with the formal search efforts completed each month. Once the 5 formal searches are complete for the month, the family must wait until the first of next month to provide the Adoption Options caseworker with information on children that the family has interest in. This monthly process will continue for a one year period. Any inquiries made by families through an adoption website, which requires further communication, will be considered as a formal search for the month. Places that Adoption Options will conduct formal searches: 64 Counties in Colorado State Department of Human Services The Adoption Exchange AdoptUSKids Other states throughout the United States In addition, your case worker will distribute the family profile at monthly or quarterly conferences with state or county caseworkers. 3

4 Matching Advocacy and Support/Presentation Once the state or county has determined that they would like to move forward with matching the child with your family, the Adoption Options case worker and team will work closely to prepare your family for a presentation meeting. The caseworker will be present as an advocate for your family throughout all matching meetings and contact with the child s worker to ensure that your family is getting the most complete information possible and help your family determine if this is a good match for your family. Parent 1 Parent 2 Placement Preparation The Adoption Options case manager will assist with placement preparation prior to the child being placed into the home. Preparation may include all of the necessary steps that need to be taken prior to placement like: Assist in scheduling and/or attending transitional meetings Submit any necessary paperwork to the state or county for placement Help you complete the placement paperwork prior to the child living in your home Parent 1 Parent 2 Adoption Filing Adoption Options wants you to be aware that the county or state will prepare legal paperwork and gather all of the necessary paperwork in order to file the court documents. The $ court filing fee will be paid directly to the court and will not be processed by Adoption Options. This applies to children who are placed by and adopted in the state of Colorado. Out of state adoptions may require additional fees, which would be identified up front. 4

5 The fees paid by ALL families prior to placement of a child are as follows: Application Fee: (due with application) $ Home Study Fee:.. $ Education and Training Development Fee:. $ *If applicants have completed CORE training elsewhere in the previous three years, it is up to the Placement Supervisor s discretion whether TLC training is required. Partial training could be required. If TLC is not required, applicants will pay half the Education and Training Development Fee, totaling $300. Networking & Placement Preparation Fee Adoption Options will network with all appropriate County and State Departments and Agencies regarding potential child(ren) for placement. This networking service is done so that your chances of being matched with a child or children are greater. It also does not limit your family to one county or State and only its children, but opens you to all children that are available in Colorado and the United States. After a potential match with a child, a formal presentation will be conducted either in person or on the phone and will include your caseworker at Adoption Options. The presentation will include all information on the child, birth family, and a transition schedule, should you move forward with the placement. The placement date will be determined by the family, caseworker for the child, and Adoption Options. The flat fee covers Adoption Options attendance at the presentation, meeting of the child, and any follow up transition meetings (including all telephone calls and meetings), if applicable... $2, Families residing in excess of 120 miles round trip of the Aurora office, or the assigned worker, are assessed travel expenses for the worker, to include mileage at the current agency rate and any required lodging or meals. Paid only in special circumstances: Expedited Home Study Fee..... $ Paid only in special circumstances if a family does not require networking services: Ongoing Case Management/Placement Prep Fee... $ *Additional funds can be accrued at hourly rate of $100/hour For families applying with Adoption Options who have a SAFE home study which has been completed in the past year. Update (if applicable)... $1, Annual fees if placement has not occurred within a year following approval: Annual Addendum (Required each year the annual addendum is a State requirement).... $ Annual networking fee. $1, If you are placed with a child from another state and will be finalizing your adoption in Colorado: There will be additional fees associated with filing the paperwork with the Colorado Court and gathering the necessary paperwork from the other state. This fee will be.. $

6 If you are placed with a child from another state and you will be finalizing your adoption in the state where the child is from, then you may be required to pay travel expenses, hotel and meal expenses and possibly other adoption costs for travel to that state and adoption finalization. ADOPTION FILING FEE (required by and paid to court)... $ AGREEMENT I/We, the adoptive applicant(s), have read the Fee Schedule and Agreement. I/we understand that the above described fees and costs are assessed for services rendered and costs incurred the Adoption Options and I/we agree to pay all such amounts when due, whether or not a child is placed with me/us or a final adoption occurs. I/We understand that amounts due under this agreement are solely to pay for the actual costs incurred and services rendered by Adoption Options as described in this agreement and in no way shall be construed as payment for placement of a child. I/We also understand and agree that no amounts paid under this agreement are refundable and if, for any reason, my/our adoption of a child is not completed or finalized, all amounts paid by me/us will be retained by Adoption Options. Services halted by Adoption Options and/or the applicant will be billed at $ for services completed. At such time, I/we agree to pay the balance of any fees incurred for services rendered to this point. I/We understand that any payment received more than 30 days after the invoice due date will be subject to a late fee of 1.5% per month or 18% per year. ACCEPTED AND AGREED TO THIS DAY OF, 20. SIGNATURE OF ADOPTIVE APPLICANT(S) SIGNATURE OF ADOPTIVE APPLICANT(S) SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE ME THIS DAY OF 20. NOTARY PUBLIC My Commission Expires 6